Half Homunculi
by ChocolateCherryGenesis
Summary: Edward Elric was fatally wounded while fighting Envy, so Alphonse used his last resort to save them both. In the meantime, a new enemy appears and threatens the peace of the world. Somehow, four strange jewels are the cause of it-And Edward Elric is...


**Story** : Half-Homunculi

**Disclaimer** : I don't own _Fullmetal Alchemist_. There was some inspiration for Ed and Al's state from a fan-made trailer for an non-existent FMA movie, but the long-term plot is completely different.

**Author** : ChocolateCherryGenesis

**Summary** : Edward Elric was fatally wounded while fighting Envy, so Alphonse used his last resort to save them both. In the meantime, a new enemy appears and threatens the peace of the world. Somehow, four strange jewels are the cause of it-And Edward Elric is the only one who can save them all. The only thing is, can he accept help from his old allies? Or will he try to do this alone?

**Written** : 1/26/2011

**Rewritten** : 4/6/2012

**Published** : 4/16/2012

**Author's Note** : Here I was, putting off updating my fanfiction stories like usual, and reading fanfiction on my iPod Touch. *Scanning titles, scanning titles,* "Hmm, this looks good," *Read a little, return to former page and glance at review number.* Choke, choke, "10k+? That's it! I'm going to write something to get a count that high!" Real reaction. ^_^ While you're reading this, please glance at my other stories.

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**Chapter One**

The Gate Opens Again

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Roy Mustang, leader of the State Military after the death of King Bradley at his own hands, sat in his office, lost in thought. His coal-black eyes hid his thoughts, but it was easy to tell that whatever he was pondering was not in any way pleasant.

_If only we had gotten there faster!_

He sighed lightly, as his mind flickered to his two charges, Major Elric and his younger brother Alphonse.

_By the time we had arrived, it was too late . . ._

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_One Month Ago_

[] [] [] [] []

Alphonse lay on the floor of the ballroom, a large chunk in the side of his armor missing and completely struck by fear while surrounded in a wide by Dante, Sloth, and Gluttony. Edward fought Envy, dodging gracefully as he continued his attempt to protect his younger brother-who was also a Philosopher's Stone.

"Can you hit me, midget?" Envy asked, chuckling. His outline shimmered, before an uneven, shining, blue light changing his very structure atom-by-atom. Chromosomes morphed and the genes were edited, causing Envy to take the appearance of the recently-deceased Major Hughes.

"I don't care **_what_** you look like!" Edward Elric said, lunging forward with a dangerously desperate gleam in his eyes, swiping at Envy with his Transmutated auto-mail prosthetic.

"How about now?" Envy asked, donning Colonel Mustang's familiar smirk along with the rest of his features and appearance.

"You couldn't have picked an **_easier_** target!" Ed exclaimed, grinning widely and finally pinning Envy to the ground, his auto-mail warningly buried next to the Homunculus' head.

Envy didn't seem at all disturbed at his obviously coming loss, shining with the blue light once again as his power transformed him into a very familiar figure, one that struck Ed even more than Mustang and Hughes, who were the closest things he had to a father. ". . . What about _now_?"

Edward paused, unable to bring himself to harm –– for all appearances –– his younger brother Alphonse.

This proved to be problematic.

Envy's arm pierced Ed's chest, and the Hero of the People slowly fell over, a large crimson wound on his back and his striking golden eyes dimming into darkness.

The room seemed to be plunged into silence, until Dante sniffed disdainfully. "That's over, now," she said.

"It's the end of the Fullmetal Pipsqueak," Envy agreed with a smirk as he stood and walked toward the rest of them.

Alphonse was still, murmuring to himself on the ground from within the Transmutation Circle on the ballroom floor. "This couldn't have . . . Couldn't have . . ."

Dante turned to her Homunculi, "Gluttony, hurry and eat the Philosopher's Stone!" she said, but then turned to Edward's still form with a large smirk.

Alphonse stood, wobbling toward his brother and collapsing on the ground next to him before the Homunculi could get over their joy at his brother's demise and pay attention to his own actions. "Ed . . . couldn't be . . ."

"What are you doing?" Dante asked Alphonse. She stepped towards the pair, meaning to stop him.

"NO! STAY BACK! You'll only damage the Stone!" Alphonse yelled, making a decisive cutting movement with his right arm.

As Envy lunged forward, Dante flung out her hand to stop the Homunculus. "No! The boy is right!"

Envy grit his teeth. "Then would should we do?"

"Nothing," Dante said with a cruel smirk. "Eventually he will have to give up."

Alphonse checked on his brother, his voice taking a weakly hopeful tone. "There's still some color to his cheeks; his spirit hasn't left yet . . . He isn't dead –– only fatally injured . . . He can still be saved . . ."

Alphonse placed Edward gently on the ground, before standing over him and arranging his hands above him in his standard Alchemy stance. The room glowed with the red light of the Philosopher's Stone, and a Transmutation Circle etched itself beneath them.

Within just moments, they were surrounded on all sides by Transmutation Circles appearing around them rapidly rune-by-rune in that same, eerie red color.

"Please live . . ." Alphonse murmured, and then both Elric brothers disappeared in a flash of light.

"ED! AL!" Mustang shouted, running into the building only to be met by their disappearing figures.

[] [] [] [] []

Mustang sighed again. _Ed's wound . . . There is nothing –– Medicine or Alchemy –– that could repair the damage to Ed's heart. He was already dying. . . He's probably long passed by now. But what about Alphonse?_

_We sent out every State Military officer we could spare to search for the boys all across Amestris. But no such luck._

_But I know that Dante is dead, too. Gluttony's increased hunger by her hand back-fired. But that effect on him should have worn off by now. Not even Alchemy can effect a Homunculus on a completely permanent basis, so long as they have the Red Water. What are they doing now?_

[] [] [] [] []

Three figures walked down a long staircase, which led to a large room filled with water and mysterious statues. Gluttony, Envy, and the presumed-dead Lust walked calmly toward a wall, conversing with each other.

Lust sighed as she turned to Envy. "Are you sure you felt something here?"

"Of course!" Envy said, glaring at Lust.

Lust sighed yet again and allowed Gluttony to lunge wildly at a wall and break through it, revealing a secret passageway with cracks and moss growing there, showing a great passing of time in the place. She was bored, anyway, and looking through their old hideouts wasn't a complete waste of time.

When they finally walked out of it, they found themselves standing in a large room with small water pools and fountains and Red Water inbetween strange statues of all sizes looming around them and being loomed over by the three homunculi. Bright beams of light came through large holes in the ancient ceiling.

Sitting in the center of the room, with the statues and pillars arranged around it, was a large hole in the floor. Gluttony walked toward it, his hand curiously placed in his mouth. Then he jumped backward, the usually idiotic homunculi struck with fear. His face twitched, and both hands moved as if to ward off whatever was frightening him.

The Gate was here.

It creaked slowly open, Edward Elric struggling to walk out of it with black tendrils holding him back. He gave one last step, putting all his effort into it, and stumbled into the ancient hollow in the floor.

He landed in a pond of Red Water.

Jerking backwards, but not fast enough, the Alchemist glowed blue and steam from the Reaction flew into the air around him as the Red Water's power was absorbed. Transmutations wildly flew around, Ed's auto-mail arm turning into a spear-like thing and flying at the group of homunculi, spikes coming out of the ground to do the same.

Only Homunculi could absorb Red Water and remain relatively sane. Or, so they thought.

But after a while, Ed stood straight and dusted off imaginary dirt from his tattered sleeves. "I didn't expect that," he finally said, walking to a fallen statue and waiting for something.

He did not have to wait long.

The large suit of armor that housed Alphonse's spirit then calmly walked out of the Gate behind Edward and sat beside his elder brother, the Gate disappearing into the air with a whoosh of wind.

"How is it?" Alphonse asked, watching Ed experimentally flex his arm.

"It's actually pretty good, for a unplanned course of action," Ed said. "I would have never expected you to actually use the Philosopher's Stone and split it between us."

Alphonse grinned, his suit of armor fading away into the air to show that he had finally, finally gotten his own body back. "We've become much stronger during the month in the Gate. Right, Pride?"

"Of course, Greed."

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_To Be Continued_

_Please Review_


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